Flight Delay Compensation Calculator
Estimate the fixed cash compensation owed under EU261/UK261 for delayed, cancelled, or overbooked flights, based on route distance and delay length. Useful for passengers checking entitlement before filing a claim with the airline.
Last updated: May 2026
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About this calculator
EU Regulation 261/2004 entitles passengers to fixed cash compensation when a flight is delayed by 3+ hours at the final destination, cancelled with less than 14 days notice, or denied boarding due to overbooking — provided the cause is within the airline's control. The compensation amount is set by route distance: €250 for routes up to 1,500 km, €400 for routes 1,500–3,500 km within the EU and intra-EU flights over 1,500 km, and €600 for routes over 3,500 km to/from non-EU destinations. UK261 mirrors EU261 with payouts in GBP at roughly the same levels. The formula is: Compensation = baseAmount × reasonMultiplier, where baseAmount is determined by distance tier and reasonMultiplier is 1.0 for airline fault (technical issues, crew shortage, overbooking, ground operations) and 0.5 for 'extraordinary circumstances' (weather, ATC strikes, security alerts) where partial compensation may apply if the airline failed to take all reasonable steps. Edge cases: arrival delay (not departure delay) determines eligibility — a flight that departs 4 hours late but arrives only 2.5 hours late doesn't qualify. The 14-day cancellation rule has additional sub-rules: cancellations 7–13 days before departure may exempt the airline if they offered re-routing close to original times. EU261 applies to: any flight departing from an EU/EEA/Swiss airport, and flights arriving at an EU/EEA/Swiss airport on an EU/EEA/Swiss carrier. UK261 has identical rules post-Brexit. US flights to/from the US under DOT rules have much weaker passenger rights — typically just refunds, not cash compensation. Montreal Convention covers international flights but only for proven damages (not fixed amounts). Compensation is per passenger, regardless of ticket price.
How to use
Example 1 — short-haul intra-EU delay. London to Madrid (route ≈ 1,260 km), delayed 4 hours due to airline technical fault. Step 1: distance ≤ 1,500 km → baseAmount = €250. Step 2: delay ≥ 3 hours → eligibility confirmed. Step 3: airline fault → multiplier = 1.0. Step 4: compensation = 250 × 1.0 = €250 per passenger. For a family of 4: 4 × €250 = €1,000 total claim. Verify: published EU261 schedule confirms €250 for ≤1,500 km routes; airline fault gets full amount. Example 2 — long-haul cancellation with weather. London to New York (route ≈ 5,540 km), cancellation 4 hours before departure due to severe winter storm at LHR. Step 1: distance > 3,500 km → baseAmount = €600. Step 2: cancellation eligibility (with proper notice rules) confirmed. Step 3: weather → extraordinary circumstances → multiplier = 0.5 or potentially 0 if airline can prove it took all reasonable measures. Step 4: compensation = 600 × 0.5 = €300 OR €0 depending on airline's defense. Note: severe weather is one of the most contested 'extraordinary circumstances' — courts have ruled that some weather events were foreseeable and the airline should have mitigated, while others (named storms) are clearly extraordinary. Always file the claim and let the airline reject if they have a valid extraordinary-circumstances defense; many passengers self-disqualify and miss valid claims. The right to a refund or re-routing is separate from compensation and applies regardless of cause.
Frequently asked questions
Which flights are covered by EU261/UK261 compensation rules?
EU261 covers: (1) any flight departing from an airport in the EU, EEA (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein), or Switzerland, regardless of the airline's nationality; (2) any flight arriving at an EU/EEA/Swiss airport operated by an EU/EEA/Swiss airline. UK261 covers the same conditions but with UK airports and UK airlines. Concrete examples that ARE covered: London → New York on British Airways (UK261); Paris → Singapore on Singapore Airlines (departure from EU); Singapore → Frankfurt on Lufthansa (EU airline arriving at EU airport). NOT covered: Singapore → New York on Singapore Airlines (no EU/UK involvement); New York → Tokyo on JAL (no EU/UK airline or airport). Connecting flights are treated as separate flights for eligibility, but if you booked them on a single ticket, total arrival delay at final destination matters. Codeshare flights take on the operating carrier's nationality, not the marketing carrier — so a Delta-coded flight operated by KLM is covered by EU261 even though Delta is American. When in doubt, file the claim and let the airline confirm or contest eligibility.
What counts as an extraordinary circumstance that exempts the airline from compensation?
EU261 lists examples in its preamble: political instability, weather affecting the flight, security risks, unexpected flight safety shortcomings, and strikes that affect the airline's operations. However, EU Court of Justice rulings have narrowed this defense significantly. Technical issues — even apparently unforeseen ones — are NOT extraordinary circumstances if they are within the airline's normal maintenance responsibility (ruling C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann). Crew strikes at the operating airline itself are generally NOT extraordinary (Krüsemann ruling). Bird strikes ARE extraordinary (Pešková ruling). Lightning strikes during ground operations are typically considered airline-controllable. ATC strikes by external bodies ARE extraordinary. Volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull and similar large-scale natural events ARE extraordinary. Even when extraordinary circumstances apply, the airline must prove it took 'all reasonable measures' to avoid the disruption — including making aircraft and crew available, rebooking on partner airlines, and arranging accommodation. If the airline failed in any of these duties, compensation may still be owed despite the extraordinary cause.
How do I file an EU261 compensation claim and what evidence do I need?
Filing process: (1) Contact the operating airline (not the booking agent or marketing carrier) within the statute of limitations (3 years in most EU countries, 6 years in UK, varies). (2) Submit a formal claim with: passenger names, flight number and date, boarding pass and booking confirmation, evidence of the delay/cancellation (departure board photo, official airline communication, news article confirming the event), expenses incurred (meals, accommodation, transport during the delay — separately reimbursable under EU261 'right to care'). (3) Airlines typically respond within 2–8 weeks; many initially deny and require escalation. (4) If denied or ignored, escalate to your country's National Enforcement Body (NEB) — the CAA in the UK, DGAC in France, LBA in Germany, etc. (5) If still unresolved, take the airline to small claims court (county court in UK, juge de proximité in France). (6) Alternatively, use a claims-handling service (AirHelp, ClaimCompass, Refund.me) — they charge 20–35% of the recovered amount but handle all paperwork. Document everything: photo of arrival board with timestamps, written communication from the airline, receipts for delay-related expenses. Passengers often receive the wrong information at the airport (told it's weather when it's airline-controllable) — never accept the airline's initial classification as final.
What are common mistakes when claiming EU261 compensation?
The most frequent mistake is using departure delay instead of arrival delay — only arrival delay at final destination matters. A 3.5-hour departure delay that the airline made up in flight to arrive only 2.9 hours late does NOT qualify. Accepting the airline's initial 'extraordinary circumstances' rejection without challenge — many such rejections are wrong and don't survive court scrutiny. Claiming compensation when the cancellation notice came more than 14 days in advance — those don't qualify regardless of distance. Confusing right to compensation (cash €250–€600) with right to refund (full ticket price) or right to re-routing (alternate transportation) — these are separate rights that may apply simultaneously. Not knowing that a connecting flight's missed connection counts as delay only if both flights were on one booking. Filing through the marketing carrier when the operating carrier is different — claims must go to the operator (e.g., file with KLM, not Delta, for a Delta-coded KLM-operated flight). Missing the country-specific statute of limitations (1 year in Belgium, 2 years in Italy, 3 years in most countries, 6 years in UK). Finally, not keeping evidence (boarding pass, arrival board photo, receipts) which makes proving the claim difficult later.
When should I NOT use this calculator?
Skip this calculator for flights entirely outside EU/UK jurisdiction — US domestic flights, intra-Asia flights on non-EU/UK carriers, and similar non-covered routes have different (usually weaker) passenger rights. Do not use it for cancellations more than 14 days before departure — those aren't compensation-eligible regardless of distance (refund and re-routing rights still apply). Avoid it for claims about denied boarding due to involuntary downgrading (different EU261 article with different calculation: 30/50/75% refund of the affected leg's ticket price). The formula doesn't capture the right to care (meals, accommodation, transport) which is separate from cash compensation and applies regardless of cause for any 2+ hour delay. For Montreal Convention international claims (lost luggage, injury, etc.), the math is different — those are damages-based, not fixed-amount. For US DOT compensation (mandatory bumping compensation, refunds for cancelled flights), use US-specific rules and calculators. For claims by tour-package customers, the package travel directive (EU 2015/2302) may provide separate rights beyond EU261 compensation. Finally, this calculator gives the maximum statutory compensation; airlines may have additional voluntary policies (loyalty points, vouchers, upgrades) — those are negotiable on top of the statutory amount.